THE LIMA MANIFEST Appeal to the conscience of the powerful of this world

First version; October 22, 2014

By Pierre Calame - FER.

Free translation: Carlos Fernando S. Andrade

Professor, Institute of Biology, UNICAMP, Campinas, SP Brazil

 
All citizens of our unique, irreplaceable and fragile planet, our "oikos" (οἶκος) - in the words of the ancient Greeks to refer to their common home - all our political, economic, spiritual leaders know:

1 - That the scale and irreversibility of interdependencies that are created between human beings, between societies, and between humanity and the biosphere is a radically new situation in the history of mankind, leading irrevocably to a common destiny;

2 – That the indefinite lifestyles and current development, accompanied by a tendency to limit its own liability, is incompatible with continued harmony among societies, to preserve the integrity of the planet and safeguarding the interests of future generations;

3 - That the magnitude of the changes needed today is out of reach for all of us, and requires the involvement of all people, as well as all public and private institutions;

4 – That the legal, political and financial management and control of public and private institutions, particularly those whose impact is global, not encourage them to fully assume its responsibilities and even encourages irresponsibility;

5 - That consciousness of our shared responsibility, with respect to the planet, is a condition for the survival and progress of humanity;

6 – That our co-responsibility, beyond the legitimate interests of our people, is to preserve our unique and fragile planet, avoiding large imbalances that create ecological and social disasters that affect all peoples of the earth;

7 – That considering the interests of the others and the community, it is the reciprocity among its members that form the basis of mutual trust, a sense of security and respect for individual dignity and justice;

8 – That the proclamation and the search for universal rights is not enough to solve our behaviors, rights are meaningless when no institution has the ability to ensure their conditions of application;

9 - That these results and findings, require the adoption of common ethical principles inspiring lines and rules of the leaders and peoples.

But what do the world's political leaders with these results? How they meet or assume their shared responsibilities? Do they know the rules and create the necessary legal instruments for states, companies, financial institutions and research centers take responsibility for all the long term consequences of their action or inaction?

Do they mobilized minds and energies to transform our economy "œconomia" inventing the rules for the management of our oikos, our common home, to ensure the well-being of all while respecting the limits of the planet?

Do they have the courage, boldness, imagination and tenacity to deliver to humanity the governance of our oikos, the height of the urgency and complexity of the challenges that plague?

To whom or what all those Nobel Prizes serve, these prestigious universities and expensive scientific researchs if do not contribute to this invention that our survival depends?

Only if they are content to feed an economic, scientific and financial machine that already does not serve, and feed a model of development that leads to disaster, to the ruin of our biosphere and finally the war?

You, powerful and scholars of the World, asking us to trust you the decision of our common destiny, what you did to earn that trust?

Have you taken up their responsibilities to humanity and the planet?

Have you noticed how your eyes are myopic, as you are concerned with their constituents, their shareholders, with ads from their peers?

Nothing is more common to humanity than climate. We bathe every moment, our life depends on it. It is a common good of humanity, the oikos. This is what unites us all and we must learn to manage together. This is what helps make us one community, beyond all our differences, our distrust of all our complaints, our entire ignorance.

Our Oikos, it is not consuming all the same standardized products, all listening to the same music, all contribute to the enrichment of the same great banks. Our oikos is the weather.

And you have to prepare an agreement between the people of the land, an agreement on our behalf about managing climate?

Ministers of Foreign Affairs! Ministries of Foreign Affairs whose sole mission is to oppose the national interests against each other?

You transformed the management of climate that should unite in a cause of division among us.
You have, for over twenty years, disfigured their joint responsibility to the planet and humanity in "common but differentiated responsibilities", tha is justifyied as each expecting the other to compromise first.
You are aware that this is called the law of offensive inertia? Just playing with words, you have transformed their meetings in an organized crime gang?

Become aware of the situation that led to myopia. This energy you spend, not to take responsibility placed on you to present our vows or take power, but to prepare, as opposed to plead not guilty, plead ignorance irreversible consequences of his inaction, inertia, to hide the plundering of the planet under the sovereignty of the people, to finance lobbies able to boldly deny the evidence of climate change, get rid advance of their inertia and their lack of collective courage.

Who among you will manifest as the people's lawyer, the lawyer of a defenseless planet, when there is no international law or judicial responsibility to defend the case, no way to punish deterrent, irresponsible behavior?
Climate change threatens to disappear the Pacific islands, threatens Bangladesh to an ecocide and genocide, and threaten climate disasters many other regions of the world, endangering whole populations.
Who will defend their cause? Before which court?  Based on what international law?

What sentence will get those who have been guilty of not helping the planet and the threatened peoples of irresponsibility?, Inertia and lack of courage?

To these questions you are organized so that there is no answer.

Please do not tell us you do not know what to do, that the issues are too complex to your fingertips. If you do not know, we'll tell you! You will see, is very simple.

I - You urgently need to adopt a Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities. Such Declaration will base the relations between states and peoples, will be promoted (disclosed) to all sectors of society and will be the basis of international law of responsibility, indispensable to take our interdependencies and make us, people of the world, a community of destiny. You may commit to apply it in the States Constitution and the laws of national right. This statement will set eight principles:

1- The exercise of each of its responsibilities, is the expression of your freedom and dignity of citizens of the global community;

2  - Every human being and all together, have a joint co-responsibility with others, near and distant communities, and for the planet as a proportion of wealth, power and knowledge of each.

3 -This responsibility entails taking into account the immediate and late effects of your actions, to prevent or compensate for the damage that was intentionally or not committed, affecting or not the legal issues. Applies to all areas of human activity and at all scales of time and space.

4- This responsibility is inalienable when the damage is irreversible.
                5-The responsibility of institutions, public and private, regardless of the rules governing them, does not relieve the responsibility of their leaders and vice versa.

6 -The possession or use of a natural resource leads to the responsibility of a better management for the common good.

7 -The exercise of a power, notwithstanding the rules by which it is governed, is only legitimate if it is accountable to those over whom it is exercised, and accompanied by liability rules to match the power of influence exercised.

8 -No person shall be acquitted of responsibility on behalf of his impotence, if he did not make the effort to join with others, or on behalf of their ignorance, if he did not make an effort to learn and inform.

II - You must with our money, from our taxes, finance the meeting before the COP21, before the completion of a new global climate agreement - a Citizens of the World Assembly.

You will take charge of the organization of cities and regions that will contribute to the construction of a horizontal globalization, a globalization network,  and not a hierarchical globalization nested and uneven, as is the case with the States assembly.

It is the level of cities and territories, which may lead the transition to a sustainable society in its three dimensions: social, economic and ecological.

You will ask them to form delegations to reflect the diversity of socio-professional groups. Cities and regions that participate in this World Assembly of Citizens will be those who agree to raise a democratic debate to prepare the assembly to adopt the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities and are committed to conducting the transition to sustainable societies.

The organization of the Assembly will be interactive to allow and reflects the diversity of views and to develop proposals in all areas of common interest.

You will ask France, the host country of COP21 and the signing of a new global climate deal, to host this meeting, mobilizing this welcome  to the different cities and regions, to allow decentralized work. And if France rejects this proposal, you will seek for loans, financings and countries for that welcome.

You will undertake to consider the proposals of this Assembly, as an expression of a proposal from the emerging power of World Community, opposite the divergent interests of the States.

               

III - Now you must set the number of maximum permissible emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide worldwide, and a plan to reduce the amount for 25 years starting from 2040, to the annual emissions compatible with climate stabilization.

It is the absorptive capacity of the biosphere quantity emitted, which allows the amount of emissions. And this ability is for everyone, and can, as is the case now, not be captured for the exclusive benefit of the countries, territories, activities and people who consume more fossil energy than their fair share. Take yourself to completion. The basis of any effective and fair climate agreement is the distribution of emission of greenhouse gases between each country and territory and in the territories, between people and economic activities, so that fossil fuels become a bargaining operation of law, issued each year in limited quantities, equally distributed between those who want to consume.

Nothing to do with the current system of quota allocation, very abundant for large companies disclaims easily efforts by purchasing more allowances.    The generalization of territorial quotas and their reduction each year over the 25 years, requires monitoring energy uses in the whole cycle of production, consumption and recycling of products. With this system, each of which has become very easy with the widespread use of electronic currencies, including at the poorest countries, will generate two currencies: The currency "work" and the currency "fossil fuels".  And then you will discover how easy to reinforce the economy in its positive dimensions - the use of creativity and human labor to meet the needs of men - without any negative impact on the planet, which is not possible today.

IV - Stop saying that with the crisis of public finances, all the beautiful appointments on the development of a global green background can not be put into practice!            The solution is very simple. Most of the production of fossil fuels, coal, oil, gas and shale gas, has focused on the extraction sites and quantities are perfectly known.
Consider the decision that imposes: a global tax at the source of emission of fossil energy, the rate will increase each year if necessary, and the incomes will support the global fund tracking the transition to sustainable societies.

               

V - We agree on the possible benefits of the global trade. But not on the current trends that drive to a "minor environmental benefit." You well know that the preamble of the Marrakesh Treaty, which created the WTO and mentions in their demands that the sustainable development was not respected. Make a commitment for the next five years, reforming the WTO rules to put the concept of sustainable industry in the heart of the principles of international trade. You will be amazed at the impact of this decision, and the flow of new technical innovations, social and economic problems that will be in course.